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Category: biotech/medical – Page 282

A Radical New Kind of Particle Accelerator Could Transform Science

A particle accelerator that produces intense X-rays could be squeezed into a device that fits on a table, my colleagues and I have found in a new research project.

The way that intense X-rays are currently produced is through a facility called a synchrotron light source. These are used to study materials, drug molecules, and biological tissues. Even the smallest existing synchrotrons, however, are about the size of a football stadium.

Our research, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters, shows how tiny structures called carbon nanotubes and laser light could generate brilliant X-rays on a microchip. Although the device is still at the concept stage, the development has the potential to transform medicine, materials science, and other disciplines.

Scientists tie lupus to a virus nearly all of us carry

One of humanity’s most ubiquitous infectious pathogens bears the blame for the chronic autoimmune condition called systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), Stanford Medicine investigators and their colleagues have found.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which resides silently inside the bodies of 19 out of 20 Americans, is directly responsible for commandeering what starts out as a minuscule number of immune cells to go rogue and persuade far more of their fellow immune cells to launch a widespread assault on the body’s tissues, the scientists have shown.

The work is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

New technique enables faster drug design for diseases linked to ion channels

An international team involving the Institute of Chemical Research, a joint center of the University of Seville and the Spanish National Research Council, has developed a new technique that will accelerate the design of drugs that target ion channels, a type of cell membrane protein involved in numerous diseases, ranging from psychiatric disorders to various types of cancer.

The research, carried out in collaboration with the University of East Anglia and the Qadram Institute (both in the United Kingdom), has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Ion channels are cell membrane proteins that regulate the passage of ions into the cell. They are essential in processes as diverse as nerve transmission, and and their dysfunction is associated with numerous disorders, making them therapeutic targets of great interest.

Exercise-induced vesicles boost neuron growth when transplanted into sedentary mice

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report that extracellular vesicles released into the bloodstream during aerobic exercise can, on their own, drive a robust increase in adult hippocampal neurogenesis when transferred into sedentary mice, even without changes in hippocampal vascular coverage.

Aerobic physical activity preserves cognitive function across the lifespan and repeatedly links to structural and cellular plasticity in the hippocampus. Evidence from plasma transfer experiments indicates that bloodborne factors from exercising animals can transfer pro-neurogenic and pro-cognitive effects to sedentary or aged recipients, partly through reduced inflammation.

Many circulating molecules have been implicated in this exercise–brain connection, including , insulin-like growth factor 1, platelet factor 4, selenoprotein P, irisin, cathepsin B, L-lactate, and interleukin-6. Each contributes to specific aspects of neurogenesis or neuronal survival.

Software optimizes brain simulations, enabling them to complete complex cognitive tasks

A new software enables brain simulations which both imitate the processes in the brain in detail and can solve challenging cognitive tasks. The program was developed by a research team at the Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science” at the University of Tübingen. The software thus forms the basis for a new generation of brain simulations which allow deeper insights into the functioning and performance of the brain. The Tübingen researchers’ paper has been published in the journal Nature Methods.

For decades, researchers have been trying to create computer models of the brain in order to increase understanding of the organ and the processes that take place there. Using , they have simulated the behavior and interaction of nerve cells and their compounds.

However, previous models had significant weaknesses: They were either based on oversimplified neuron models and therefore strayed significantly from biological reality, or they depicted the biophysical processes within cells in detail, but were incapable of carrying out similar tasks to the brain.

Dogs 10,000 years ago roamed with bands of humans and came in all shapes and sizes

From village dogs to toy poodles to mastiffs, dogs come in an astonishing array of shapes, colors and sizes. Today there are estimated to be about 700 million dogs living with or around humans.

To many of us, are loyal companions, working partners, and beloved family members—and the histories of our species are deeply woven together. But how did this incredible diversity come to be—and how far back does this relationship with humans go?

Two new studies published today in Science provide some answers. One, led by Allowen Evin from the University of Montpelier, draws on ancient skeletal remains. The other, led by Shao-Jie Zhang from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, draws on the study of DNA from ancient Eastern Eurasian dogs.

Particles that enhance mRNA delivery could reduce vaccine dosage and costs

New nanoparticles that enhance mRNA delivery could reduce vaccine dosage, costs, and possibly even side effects. “Our goal has been to try to make nanoparticles that can give you a safe and effective vaccine response but at a much lower dose,” Daniel Anderson says.

A new lipid nanoparticle could make mRNA vaccines more effective and potentially lower the cost per dose. New research suggests an mRNA influenza vaccine delivered with the new particle could generate the same immune response as mRNA delivered by standard nanoparticles, but at around 1/100 the dose.

Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Prostate Cancer: Where Are we?

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) reflect a new promising approach in prostate cancer, even more so after the practice-changing results in other malignancies, either hematologic or solid. ADCs consist of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeted at specific antigens overly expressed on cancer cells compared to normal cells. A cytotoxic payload is attached to the mAb using a stable linker. In prostate cancer, PSMA, STEAP1, TROP2, CD46 and B7-H3 are antigens currently being studied as targets for ADCs. In this paper, we discuss the composition of ADCs and focus on their application and challenges as treatment options in prostate cancer.

Keywords: Antibody-drug conjugate; Monoclonal antibody; PSMA; Precision oncology; Prostate cancer.

Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scientists Trace Lupus to One of The World’s Most Common Viruses

One of the world’s most common viral infections could underlie virtually every case of lupus, according to a recent study providing the strongest evidence yet for a link.

The research, led by scientists at Stanford University, has found that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) could be the trigger behind the ‘cruel mystery’

EBV is the pathogen that causes ‘kissing disease’ (or mononucleosis), and according to the new findings, it can directly infect and reprogram specific immune cells, potentially driving the onset of the chronic autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus – better known as simply lupus.

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